Instinct
by SandraDeee
Summary: Hunger. Fear. Violence. Lust. When people around Haven begin acting on their baser instincts, Audrey and Nathan must find the source of the Trouble before they, too, fall victim to its deadly effects.
1. A Zombie Love Story

**Synopsis:**_ Hunger. Fear_. _Violence. Lust._ When people around Haven begin acting on their baser instincts, Audrey and Nathan must find the source of the Trouble before they, too, fall victim to its deadly effects.

**Author's Note:** This story is a companion/prequel to "The Biggest Mystery Yet" and also takes place in the same universe as "Speak Like a Mainer." It is not necessary to have read those stories to understand this one.

This one's for **Maria**, who always asks when I'm going to post it. Well, here it is, dear.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Haven,_ make profit from the story, etc. I just really, really like Audrey and Nathan. Nathan especially.

* * *

**Part One: A Zombie Love Story**

"_I will follow my instincts, and be myself for good or ill."_  
― John Muir

Audrey Parker was running late.

She wished she could blame it on her alarm clock. Seriously, who thought the snooze button was a good idea, anyway? Postponing the inevitable, encouraging procrastination...

She wished she could blame it on a stakeout, but she'd spent the night before having dinner with Nathan (if pancakes could be called that) and then throwing back a few drinks with Julia Carr, while discussing their Petri dish of a town.

She wished she could blame it on just about _anything_ other than the truth: she simply hadn't wanted to get up. It was more than the sound of the wind whipping through the air or the crashing of the waves on the rocks below that made her feel warm and cozy. She had fallen asleep while reading a ridiculously cheesy romance novel and somewhere along the way, she began to dream she was the heroine of the story (feisty, self-assured naturally) and Nathan (_Nathan!?_) was the romantic hero. Weird. But in that dreamlike state, it had all made perfect sense for her to be wearing a dress with a torn bodice and for him to be wearing an eye patch, sucking on her neck, and pulling up the skirt of her dress.

No more alcohol and romance novels before going to bed, she decided as she ran a brush through her hair.

Audrey heard Nathan's truck before she actually saw it, that familiar rumble of the engine and the crackle of its tires on the gravel outside her apartment above the Grey Gull. She slipped on a blazer over her camisole and buttoned it before double-checking she had everything. Badge. Side arm. Phone. Check. Check. And check.

Nathan was standing outside the Bronco when she made it down to the parking lot. Thankfully, there was no eye patch involved.

"Someone call for a cab?"

"Eh, the car's not feeling it today." She inclined her head toward the ten-year-old Dodge Stratus she had purchased not long after she decided to extend her stay in Haven. She figured her time in Haven would be temporary, so there was no need for extravagance. Of course, these days, she would settle for reliability.

As though reading her thoughts, Nathan said, "You should think about getting a more reliable car."

"Probably."

"Either that, or make sure it has gasoline."

"That was last week, and I've learned my lesson."

"What? That's it's easier to bum a ride?"

Audrey shrugged. "You've got nothing better to do."

"_Has_ been quiet lately. Minus the strange buzzing in my ear."

She ignored his teasing jab. Maybe he didn't want to admit it, but he liked their talks. If nothing else, she kept him on his feet. "Right. It's almost a letdown to get the run-of-the-mill prowler call."

"I'll take that any day over the house implosions or x-ray vision troubles."

"Harry Harris halfway deserved what he got. Trying to look through women's clothes like that? Perve." She shuddered at the thought.

"On the plus side, he'll be an asset on staff at the hospital." Nathan climbed into the Bronco with ease; it took a bit more effort for Audrey, who was a good ten inches shorter than her partner. "Not the first time a Trouble has led to a new career."

"What about you? You ever think about doing something different?" Audrey's question came out of the blue.

"You trying to get rid of me, Parker?" Nathan asked.

"No, just curious. If you weren't a cop, what would you be doing?"

Nathan considered her question. "Applied to law school. Was accepted, but I…I don't know. Probably be a hermit."

"Is that even an occupation? I can see it now on the next census. Occupation: hermit. Are the benefits good?"

His mouth quirked in a half smile. "They sound better all the time. You?"

"A writer."

"You write?"

"Not really, but if Stephenie Meyer can make a fortune off of lovesick teens and middle-aged moms, why not me?"

"I seem to recall a few vampire books in your collection."

"Yeah, but they're going out of vogue. I'm thinking a _zombie_ love story."

Nathan's brows furrowed. "So how exactly would that go?"

"Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl, not for her body, but for her brains…"

"Should've known," Nathan replied shaking his head. "At least dating around here's less complicated. Or maybe just complicated in a different way."

"So are there any dating rules I should know?"

"Dating rules?" Nathan repeated. "You looking to date someone?"

"With all the free time I _don't_ have? Not quite. But there seem to be, like, fifty unspoken rules regarding everything else in Haven. I figured dating had to fit in there somewhere. So, spill it."

"That's a tall order."

"Well, I already know I better not ask a guy if he'd like a dittle* unless I really mean it. Hmm. Maybe I should ask Duke." At the alarmed look on Nathan's face, she added, "For advice, I mean. You are so easy."

"About that, don't ask Duke."

"Why's that?"

"He has a reputation."

What was this? The 1950s? "Doesn't everyone?"

"A bad reputation."

"Are you the town choirboy?"

"Not quite."

She gave him a quick assessment. Nathan Wuornos was handsome in an L.L. Bean catalog kind of way. Knowing him, he'd probably be insulted that she was mentally comparing him to male models. "I guess you turned a few heads in your day."

"A few." There was the slight quirk of his lips, as though he was remembering a private joke. "What about you, Parker?"

She sighed. "I'm not relationship material. I squeeze the toothpaste from the middle of the tube."

"Oh, definitely a deal breaker," he deadpanned.

"Have this thing about the toilet seat. I don't really cook much. Sure don't like cleaning after anyone else…"

"You have breakfast yet?"

"It depends."

"On?"

"What's on the menu. For the record, I'm taking a break from pancakes."

"How can you not want pancakes?"

"Maybe because we had them for supper last night? I'm just waiting for it…"

"For what?"

"Someone's Trouble to turn us into what we eat. I'm telling you right now if I get turned into a pancake and am made flatter up top than I already am, I am going to be pissed at you."

"You're not flat."

Audrey's eyebrow shot up, while Nathan flushed a deep red upon realizing what he had said. "We seriously need to expand your palate," she said, trying to let him off the hook.

"My palate's fine," he replied, staring straight ahead.

"I'm thinking Rosemary's."

"And we need to expand yours." But despite his good-natured protest, Nathan drove the Bronco to the bakery. What else could he do? Pancakes were off limits for awhile.

* * *

"Good morning."

"Duke Crocker." His name rolled off her tongue like an accusation. "I didn't know you came out during the day."

"I'm sensing a little hostility, Samantha. Frankly, that's hurtful."

"Oh,_ you're_ hurt?"

"I thought we worked all this out. You're a great girl, but…"

Samantha Heiser crossed her arms, her delicate features practically transforming into Duke's second greatest fear after mad-tattooed-man: scorned-woman-on-a-rampage. "Where have you been keeping yourself?"

Luckily, Duke noted, she didn't appear to have any weapons on hand other than a tongue she seemed to be sharpening. "Here. There." He tried to smile gamely hoping friendliness would defuse the situation. The last thing he needed was a public confrontation before he even had his morning coffee. It was enough to make him wonder why he'd even bothered getting up early.

"I've stopped by the Gull several times. Your bartender Nora keeps giving me the run around."

"Well, you've got me now. What did you want to talk about?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You know, never mind. I thought I had a little problem."

Duke's face blanched. "You don't mean…?"

"No, I'm not. Never was, thank God. But I do feel incredibly stupid for ever letting you anywhere near me." And then her angry expression shifted before Duke's eyes. Her eyes widened, her bottom lip quivered, and her crossed arms turned into more of a self-hug. "You're not safe for me to be around." Her voice softened. Shakily, she took a step back from him.

"Are you okay?" Duke asked reaching out to steady her.

"Don't! Don't come close. You aren't safe! I've got to get away from here. Away from you!" With that, she began to power walk in the opposite direction.

"Okay. Nice seeing you." Duke waved as Samantha hurried away. She turned to look back at him, and then quickened her pace to a run. "We should do this again sometime. And by sometime, I mean never."

What the hell was that? Duke was accustomed to the occasional disgruntled female, but she was positively vitriolic before turning into a quivering mess.

He would never understand women.

"That was weird," he muttered under his breath. He turned to continue toward the bakery and ran smack into a man.

"Sorry, buddy." Duke steadied the man, who was older than himself but whose age was difficult to pinpoint because of the rather distinct handlebar mustache he wore that overpowered his other features.

The man pushed past Duke, saying nothing.

"So you're not a morning person. I can respect that."

He continued into the bakery. The place was, as usual, busy. It would have been quicker to go to Larissa's, but like everyone else, he knew Rosemary had the most succulent pastries in town. Moist. Flaky. Sweet goodness. He could almost imagine them melting on his tongue, the buttery flavor permeating every last taste bud.

"You okay, Duke?" Sada Quinn, who stood in front of him in line, asked.

Duke tried to focus on the woman in front of him. She was attractive, in a cougar sort of way, and had the breasts of a twenty-two year old, though she had to be pushing about fifty. If her cleavage was any indication, she had recently had some maintenance work done. Duke forced his eyes upward, halfway expecting her to unleash her fury on him for his wayward gaze. Instead, she smirked.

"See something you like?"

Duke laughed nervously. Right. A woman who dressed like that wasn't likely to complain if a man noticed. "Come again?"

Sada lowered her voice and tilted her head toward the pink clad, white haired woman behind the counter. "For breakfast. The Queen Bee herself is out this morning. If you can get past the fake Southern accent and the pink…well, everything…I do have to say no one makes pastries better than Rosemary."

"Mmmhmmm." Duke's gaze darted past Sada to the glass display case. Everything he could possible want was on display. Everything he could ever need. Donuts. Jelly filled. Cream filled. Custard filled. Powdered. Cake. Raised. Glazed. Crullers. Baklava. Muffins (blueberry, strawberry, lemon poppy seed, pumpkin, chocolate chip). Turnovers. Bear claws. Croissants brushed with butter. The choices were overwhelming. He wanted _everything_. The sweet. The salty. The nutty. The fruity.

Without another word, Duke pushed Sada aside and angled between two other customers to press his hands against the display case. The food called to him. _Come take me_.

"Duke?" Rosemary's plastered smile faded. "What are you doing?"

Wordlessly, Duke slammed his open hands against the glass. The case shook, but the glass held.

"What is wrong with you?" Rosemary asked. "Do I need to call someone?"

"I'm hungry." A thread of spittle fell from his lips and onto the display.

"Hey, man, I've heard of drooling over Rosemary's cooking, but this is ridiculous," a man said from behind Duke. "Sleep it off."

Duke jumped over the counter, pushed Rosemary aside, and pulled a cruller from the case with his right hand and baklava with the other. Without another word, he devoured the pastries in just a few gulps before digging into the display case for more.

"Stop it! What's wrong with you?" Rosemary cried out. "Stop it!"

* * *

"How did you get here so quickly?" Rosemary greeted Nathan and Audrey at the door only minutes after Duke began his eating rampage.

"We were already on our way," Audrey explained.

"Well, you've got to do something about him!" She pointed toward the inside of her bakery. Nathan and Audrey hurried inside.

Bystanders stood by, mulling over Duke's behavior, in a quiet roar.

"Duke!" Nathan spoke his old friend/old enemy's name sharply.

Duke paused for a moment, looked up at Nathan and Audrey, and went back to pulling more pastries from the case. He swiped the back of his hand over his mouth, bringing away icing with it before licking the sweetness off his hand. He then shoved a croissant into his mouth.

"Something is definitely wrong." Audrey paused a beat before adding, "Troubling."

Nathan shook his head slightly. "So much for a quiet day."

* * *

*dittle – See the one-shot "Speak Like a Mainer." A dittle is Maine slang for sex.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	2. Not Safe

**Author's Notes**: Thanks so much for all the feedback on this story.

I've tried to thank those of you who have left a registered comment, but for those of who have left unregistered or anonymous comments, I'd like to say thanks to you, too. Wow! Talk about keeping a girl motivated!

Also, to address some of the questions/comments from a few folks:

Audrey knows Nathan can feel her and only her. The timeline of this story is a bit tricky, and it is decidedly un-canon. The reason being that it is a companion story to "The Biggest Mystery Yet," which I wrote during the hiatus between seasons 1 and 2. There are several important events that have happened since season 1 that don't really fit into this universe, so I'm basically choosing to ignore canon beyond season 1 with this story.

For the kind reviewer who suggested that I have a schedule for posting, I wish I could be one of those writers who can guarantee a posting schedule, but I just can't. I'm a chapter ahead in writing this story (but I do have the entire story mapped out in detail), but real life is quite distracting sometimes. That—and weird plot bunnies distract me, too. For example, I got sidetracked by a story related to what's happening on the show right now for a couple of days before deciding I wasn't happy with it and ended up scrapping it. Then I got busy working on polishing the next installment of Phoenix Rising, but I can't quite get satisfied with that either. So long (long…long…) comment short, no set schedule. Sorry!

Oh, and for those of you who have seen the short movie "I Hate Musicals," there's a little shout out to that story in here.

* * *

**Part Two: "Not Safe"  
**

"I need food! Fooood!" Duke's plaintive cries were punctuating by fierceness as he pulled at his arm and leg restraints.

Audrey grimaced as she watched through the window of the hospital room. It was as though Duke had become a caged animal—or worse, part of a freak show. Observing him through the window felt wrong somehow, like a violation. "I want to go in."

Dr. Lucassi shook his head. "He'll only be agitated."

Already, the doctor could tell it was going to be a long day. He had traded in one form of crazy for another, as it turned out. _Take on rotations at the hospital_, his wife had told him. _It'll be good for you, good for us. Get away from the Freddie._ But all he had to show for it was no decent sleep and a crick in his neck. Maybe he should've taken on the medical examiner's position instead. At least those patients didn't talk back.

"He's already agitated," Nathan countered. "You think he's in danger?"

Dr. Lucassi considered the question. "We're monitoring his vitals. His heart rate and blood pressure are elevated."

Audrey shook her head slightly. "We need to figure out what's causing this."

Lucassi had to bite his tongue. What did she think he was doing? Twiddling his thumbs? Counting ceiling tiles?

"Let us go in," Audrey repeated.

The doctor looked from Audrey back to Duke. Whatever ailed Duke wasn't a normal medical issue, and he had seen Audrey Parker soothe the Troubled more than once. Even if she rubbed him the wrong way, he had to admit that she was good with the strange ones. "All right. But if he becomes too agitated, I'm pulling you out of there. No arguments."

"No arguments," Audrey repeated.

But the look Nathan shot her before the two detectives and the doctor entered Duke's room displayed his disbelief. Parker not argue? _When hell freezes over_.

Audrey immediately went to Duke's bedside, sharing the space with monitoring equipment. "Duke, Nathan and I are here to help, but we need to figure out what's causing this."

Duke stopped his struggling when he heard her voice, and Audrey could see where the restraints were chafing him.

It was so much easier to tackle a Trouble when it didn't involve someone she cared about. 'Maintaining a professional distance,' is how she termed it. But this was different. This was Duke. Gah. And only Duke would go and get himself an eating Trouble. On the surface, it was _almost _a funny Trouble, _almost_—kind of along the same vein as Brad Kay pissing off his musical-loving fiancée Melissa and finding he could no longer talk, only sing—but seeing the suffering of her friend made it a whole hell of a lot less humorous.

Duke's brown eyes shone with tears. "I'm hungry, Audrey. You've got to help me."

"We will. Just as soon as you answer some questions for us. Look, we think someone's Trouble is doing this."

"The only Trouble I have is I am starving, and no one will give me anything to eat."

"What happened?" Nathan asked moving closer to the hospital bed.

"Breakfast. They won't let me have breakfast! Nathan, you've got to help me! I know we've had our differences, but I've got to eat. I'll even take hospital food at this point."

Audrey stepped back, as did Nathan. "He can't focus long enough to tell us anything," Nathan observed.

"Yeah. So we might be better off questioning the people who were at the bakery. Find out what they saw and if any of them are going all Overeaters Anonymous on us."

Audrey turned back to Duke, who was fixated on the hospital gown he wore. It was pale blue with yellow ducks on it.

"Have you ever eaten duck, Audrey?"

"No."

"It's a darker meat than chicken, but so succulent. There's duck a la orange, Peking duck with plum sauce, roasted duck, duck gumbo, duck legs in curry…"

The band around Duke's arm began to automatically take his blood pressure, tightening on his bicep.

"BP is still elevated. Meds should be taking care of that by now, but they aren't." Lucassi made a notation on Duke's chart.

"Why won't you give me something to eat? This is cruel. Doc, I am starving to death!"

The keening alarm of the heart monitor suddenly began to sound.

"Heart rate's spiked," Lucassi observed. "I'm going to give him a sedative."

"No. No sedative. Food!" Duke shouted as Lucassi readied a dose.

Audrey felt in her pocket and pulled out a granola bar. Duke heard the plastic as she opened it, sniffed in the air, and once again tried to free himself from the restraints.

"What are you doing?" Nathan asked warily.

"I'm giving him food," Audrey replied as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

Nathan shoved his hands in his pockets. "After all he ate this morning at Rosemary's, he won't need to eat for another week."

Lucassi, with needle in hand, looked ready to push Audrey aside himself. "Officer Parker, let me treat my patient."

"What's one granola bar? Trust me." Audrey neared Duke's bed, holding out the bar. "Listen, I'm going to give you this granola bar, but I need you to not bite the hand that feeds you, all right?"

Duke nodded, though his gaze remained solely fixed on the object in Audrey's hand.

Audrey placed the bar near Duke's mouth, and he took a greedy bite. The grating sound of the heart monitor ceased, returning to the occasional beep instead.

"I don't believe it," Lucassi marveled, looking at the readings. As Duke ate, his vitals inched toward normal parameters.

Audrey looked pointedly at Lucassi. "You need to feed him as he asks."

* * *

"How did you know?" Nathan asked as the two exited the hospital and crossed the parking lot to the Bronco.

"I didn't. Just a guess."

Nathan would take Audrey's hunches over other people's facts on most any given day. "An eating Trouble. Reminds me of the second time Duke got hold of some bad weed because once just wasn't enough."

"Not funny."

"Wasn't trying to be."

"It's so hard to tell sometimes." Audrey frowned. "Duke's gone all food zombie on us. You were right. We should get back to Rosemary's and see if she can shed some light on what just happened."

"Parker?"

"Yeah?"

"What is it with you and zombies?"

* * *

"Rosemary, has anything like this ever happened before?" Nathan asked.

"This is a first." Rosemary wiped the display case with a soft cloth. Her little bakery was almost getting back to normal, minus the fact that Duke Crocker's excursion into crazy town had cost her the morning's business. "Bein' from around here, I know strange things happen, but they've just never happened _here_. Well, there was that time Felix Gardner and Yocelin Hernandez nearly came to blows over who would get the last cruller, but that was purely pastry related, not…well, _you know_ related." Pretend the Troubles didn't exist and maybe, just maybe, she would stay untouched.

"When Duke entered, did he immediately help himself?" Nathan asked.

"He seemed fine when he came in, though I did hear some of the customers talking about a big blow up between him and Samantha Heiser outside. He seemed none too bothered by it, though. You know how he is. Then suddenly he was a-droolin' like a mad dog, jumpin' over the counter, and just gorgin' himself.

Audrey blinked quickly; the native Havenite's affected Southern accent was decidedly out of place. "Did you see him talking to anyone before this happened?" Audrey asked.

"He and Sada Quinn were talkin' in line. She's easy to spot because she puts her girls on display more prominently than I display baked goods." The tut-tut of Rosemary's tone was impossible to miss.

"Anyone else?" Nathan asked. They had a list of the customers who were in the store at the time, but if Rosemary could narrow down their starting points, that would be ideal.

"Not really, but I was busy, you know."

"If you think of anything else, would you give me a call?" Nathan asked handing Rosemary a card.

"Of course, Nathan. By the way, I'm workin' on a new maple donut recipe. They taste a lot like pancakes."

"Good to know. I look forward to them." Once out of the bakery, Nathan turned to Audrey. "Leave it to Duke to piss off the wrong person."

"We don't know that's what happened."

"Good place to start."

Audrey couldn't argue there.

Once they reached the Bronco, they looked up an address on Samantha Heiser. "Not too far from here," Nathan commented.

"Let's go."

* * *

Within minutes, Nathan stopped his Bronco in front of a brick duplex with bright red flowerpots on either side of the front step. "Those are cute," Audrey commented.

"Getting decorating ideas? Really?"

Audrey defended, "The girl does have good taste. The exterior of my apartment could use some color." That's what she got for living above the aptly named Grey Gull.

"Taste must not be that good if she dated Duke," Nathan prodded.

Audrey looked her partner up and down.

"What?"

"You ever going to let it go?"

Nathan didn't even bother to pretend he didn't know what she was talking about. "Probably not."

"Remind me not to piss you off."

"Eh. You're immune anyway."

Audrey squinted her eyes and leaned forward in the passenger's seat. "There's a bag next to the door. It kind of blends in with the brick."

"Maybe she's going somewhere."

"But why leave it outside?"

"Let's find out." The two exited the Bronco and made their way down the short sidewalk and up onto the porch.

Nathan rang the doorbell and stepped aside so that if the door swung open suddenly, he wouldn't be caught by surprise.

Within a few seconds, the door opened. A young red-haired woman with a smattering of freckles on her nose opened the door slightly; a chain kept it partially secured.

"Samantha Heiser?" Audrey asked.

"No. I'm her roommate Jenny. Jenny Cobb."

Audrey held up her badge. "I'm Officer Parker, Haven PD. This is Detective Wuornos. May we come in?"

"Please. I'm glad you're here actually," Jenny replied. She closed the door briefly to unhook the chain and then opened it again, stepping aside so the two visitors could enter the apartment. "Something's not right with Sam. She's really freaked out, says she isn't safe."

Nathan and Audrey exchanged a look before Nathan surveyed their surroundings. Nothing about the place was tidy, from the pillows strewn about the couch to a trail of clothes across the floor.

"Love what you've done with the place," Nathan commented blandly. Odd that someone who took enough pride in her abode to place potted plants outside on the porch would have an interior that could double as a tribute to 'Pig-Pen' from the Peanuts gang.

Jenny halfway snorted. "Yeah, that would be Sam. My neat freak roommate has just turned into a freak. Like, really suddenly."

"Is she here?" Audrey asked.

"Sam!" Jenny hollered looking back toward a closed door a few feet away. "Two cops are here to see you!"

"How do I know you're really police officers?" Samantha asked as she opened a door by only a few inches and peered out from the aperture. Audrey assumed that was the young woman's bedroom.

Audrey supplied, "We have badges, handcuffs, sirens. The usual."

"Show me."

Audrey and Nathan dutifully held their badges for the young woman to see.

"Why are you here?" Samantha asked finally opening her bedroom door.

Nathan tried to meet her eyes, but the young woman's gaze darted all over the place. "It's about Duke Crocker," he said.

Samantha visibly flinched. "Tell him to stay away from me! It's not safe to be around him!"

"Did Duke threaten you in some way?" Nathan asked. It didn't sound like Duke's modus operandi, but the look of abject fear on the young woman's face couldn't be ignored.

"I can't be around him."

Audrey mentioned the suitcase near the door. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I'm leaving town. I have to go somewhere safe."

"But you left your luggage outside," Nathan prompted.

Jenny offered, "She was on her way out when a man walked by on the sidewalk. It scared her, so she ran back in here."

"I think he was after me!" Samantha cried out.

Audrey sought Samantha's eyes. "Look, we really need to ask you some questions. It won't take long. You'll be safe with us. I promise."

Hesitantly, Samantha nodded.

* * *

"So what do you make of that?" Audrey asked as she settled back into the passenger seat of the truck.

"She was irrational. Petrified."

"I don't understand the source of her fear."

"I don't think she does either." Nathan turned the ignition of the Bronco. "And she didn't sound confrontational where Duke's concerned."

"But according to Rosemary's account, she was pretty pissed off at him."

"Pissed off enough to have a Trouble triggered?"

Audrey tapped her fingers against the door, a sound that nearly made Nathan come out of his skin. Luckily, she stopped before he had to tell her to knock it off. "So her Trouble makes her scared and makes Duke eat?"

"Or maybe she's scared because she knows she's Troubled and affecting Duke," Nathan theorized.

"But why isn't her roommate affected? Or us? I mean, at this point, I haven't eaten since last night. If it was possible for her Trouble to work on me like it did Duke, even you'd be looking pretty tasty about right now."

"Not sure whether to be flattered or disturbed by that."

She looked at him sideways and grinned. "Add a little syrup…"

Nathan's lips quirked. "Definitely disturbed."

* * *

"Buddy Burger: the lunch of champions." Nathan dropped a white paper sack on the seat between himself and Audrey in the Bronco.

"Feels strange to eat with what Duke's going through." Nevertheless, Audrey pulled a wrapped burger from the bag, opened the paper enough to reveal the hot sandwich, and took a bite. Her eyes fluttered as she leaned back on against the seat. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think I love you just a little bit right now."

"I'll try not to let it go to my head." Nathan unwrapped his own sandwich. The kitchen staff was evidently ketchup happy if the red condiment oozing out from between the buns was any indication. No matter. He liked tomato products, even if he wasn't much of a fan of tomatoes themselves. He took a bite, and the two sat in companionable silence while enjoying the quick lunch, the chatter from the police radio the only sound in the Bronco.

A few moments later, Audrey turned to Nathan, "I wonder if—" but she quickly lost her train of thought when she saw ketchup on his cheek. She grinned. How could the man miss his mouth by that much?

"What?" he asked when she didn't finish her thought, only to find her amusement pointed in his direction.

"You saving that ketchup for later?" She pointed to her own cheek.

Nathan reached up to wipe it off his cheek, but came back with a ketchup-less hand.

"Wrong cheek," she corrected him. Without thinking, she reached over and wiped away the ketchup with her thumb.

He tried not to react to her touch, to feeling the softness of her hand, the warmth of her skin, but it was impossible to ignore the neurons firing back to life in his dead nerves. Audrey reminded him that he was real, a man with flesh and blood and bone. But dammit, the last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable. Regardless, his surprise at the not altogether unpleasant sensations must have shown on his face. And just as quickly as he felt her, numbness took root again as she pulled away.

She took a napkin and wiped the ketchup from her thumb. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't—"

"You don't have to apologize for…touching me."

The air between them felt thick to her, and she halfway thought she should apologize to him for not touching him more often. He had to be starved for human contact.

But distance was comfort, at least in her mind. Being too close to him muddied the waters. She had been around handsome men before—and a few had even been somewhat interesting—but if she were the type of woman to keep a list, Nathan ticked off more checks on that list than anyone she'd met before. But this was _Nathan_, her partner, not some guy she met randomly at a bar. So if she was being completely honest with herself, she was scared. Her fear wasn't that he would enjoy her touches too much, but that she would enjoy touching him more than any friend, any partner, should. It wasn't a line she was willing to cross, not when she relied on him to be her rock.

She cleared her throat. "Can't have you showing up wearing your lunch when we meet up with our next eyewitness."

"Only slightly less embarrassing than your stomach growling in the middle of questioning Ansel Lundgren."

"It got me a free lunch, didn't it?" she retorted with a crooked smile.

And like that, the tension eased.

"So everyone we've talked to has pretty much said the same thing as Rosemary. There was a confrontation between Duke and Samantha Heiser." Audrey pulled a pickle from her burger and ate it by itself. "Duke was fine until he wasn't. We're missing something."

The sound of Nathan's cell phone buzzing interrupted the conversation. Nathan pulled it from its holster. "Wuornos….You're home now?... I know where that is….We'll be there in ten."

Audrey looked at him questioningly as he pushed the END button on the phone.

"Was Sada Quinn," Nathan informed her.

"Ah. The last piece of our witness puzzle."

"She had the most contact with Duke other than Samantha. Maybe she noticed someone no one else did."

* * *

A few minutes later, Nathan and Audrey pulled onto Fascination Street.

Audrey watched the mailboxes. "742…742. Here's 730. I think 742'll be the next house on the right."

"Yep. Looks like she's getting some work done." Nathan parked the Bronco across the wide residential street. The yard of Sada Quinn's Cape Cod style home was immaculate, with its vivid green grass, mature trees, and sculpted shrubbery. The only things amiss were the buckets sitting at the end of the driveway with yellow caution tape stretched between them. "Drive's in the process of being resealed."

The two exited the vehicle and made their way across the yard to avoid the fresh tar on the driveway. Audrey couldn't help but notice the grass was springy and thick, almost like a carpet. When they approached the house, Audrey could see movement through the sheer curtains that adorned the windows next to the door. Sada Quinn opened the door before either had a chance to ring the doorbell.

"Hi, Officers. What can I do for you today?"

Her tone was just too saccharine to suit Audrey, who suddenly had flashbacks of Roald Dahl's "The Landlady." Though in all fairness, Audrey never envisioned the sinister landlady as being as top heavy as Sada Quinn. If Nathan noticed, he did a good job of hiding it, keeping his eyes focused on the woman's face rather than her sizeable chest.

"You were a witness to what happened earlier at Rosemary's?" Nathan asked.

"Yes. Yes I was."

"We'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Please, come on in," Sada replied stepping aside, inviting the detectives into her foyer.

"Could you describe what happened with Duke Crocker?" Nathan asked.

"It was strange really. We were waiting in line, talking. Well, flirting," she amended, "and he suddenly leaped over the counter and began to gorge himself. It was as though he had no control over his actions."

"He didn't seem upset beforehand?" Audrey asked.

"No. I mean, we all heard Samantha Heiser give him what-for even from inside the bakery, but he seemed fine. Everyone seemed right as rain."

"If you think of anything else, would you give us a call?" Nathan asked handing over his card.

"Sure."

The sound of breaking glass perked Nathan's ears. "Someone else here with you?"

"My brother is visiting from Bangor. He's a college professor there. Great at lecturing his sociology class, but evidently not so handy in the kitchen," Sada said shaking her head.

"Did he witness the incident with Duke?" Audrey asked.

"No. He was waiting for me in the car. Left him with some coins to put into the meter just in case it was busy in Rosemary's and the time ran out." Sada dropped her voice. "I probably shouldn't say anything, what you with you two being cops and all, but the meter maids circle like vultures. I don't mind so much them ticketing the tourists, but…"

"Right. Thanks again," Audrey replied.

* * *

Once outside, Nathan looked to Audrey. "Sada was our last lead. What do you think?"

"We're still missing something."

"Maybe we should go check back in on Duke, see how he's doing."

"Aww. Look at you all concerned for Duke," Audrey grinned. "He would be touched if he knew how much you care."

Nathan shot her his best 'you're crazy' look. "Figured it would be best to make sure he hasn't gone cannibal."

"Keep telling yourself that, Wuornos," Audrey teased.

The two began to walk across the street toward the Bronco when the peal of screeching tires alerted them. A tan colored sedan, its engine revving, came barreling through the otherwise quiet neighborhood. Audrey's eyes widened as she realized it was heading straight for them.

Without a word, Nathan pulled Audrey out of the vehicle's path; the two landed in the grass of Sada's yard. Half a second later, and she would have been flattened. The realization knocked the air out of her. Or it might have been Nathan's body landing on her that did the trick.

"You okay?" he asked, his face so close to hers she could feel his warm breath.

"Yeah."

Nathan bounded up, pulled her to her feet, and the two ran to the Bronco to pursue the speeding vehicle. Audrey picked up the radio. "We've got a 10-33 in progress. Late model Chrysler sedan, beige in color. Last seen on Fascination Street driving recklessly."

"Parker, look." Nathan slowed the Bronco before bringing it to a stop behind the sedan. "Light pole." The front of the vehicle looked more like an accordion.

Audrey was immediately back on the police radio. "Sedan located at the intersection of Fascination Street and Clearview. It's wrecked into a utility post. Request medical assistance."

Nathan reached behind the seat and pulled out a first aid kit before quickly exiting the Bronco. Audrey was only one step behind. The driver, a Caucasian man who looked to be in his mid to late forties with a goose egg on his forehead, was moaning. It was his hands and clothing that caught the duo's attention, though. They were covered in blood.

"Sir, you need to stay still. Do not attempt to move," Nathan instructed him. "Help is on its way."

The man's brown eyes widened, though they seemed unfocused. With great effort, he formed the words, "Not safe…not safe here."

* * *

To be continued...


	3. Strip Searches and Other Invitations

**Author's Note: **Thanks so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I should warn you that in the next chapter or two, the story will venture into M territory and its overall rating will change.

* * *

**Part Three: "Strip Searches and Other Invitations"**

"Driver's name is Sam Menard, age 44." Lucassi handed a plastic bag of Menard's personal effects to Audrey. "He's unconscious."

"How long until he wakes?" Nathan asked.

"Took a pretty nasty bump on the head. He'll go for an MRI as soon as the lab tech gets back from lunch. Should be any minute now."

"Wow. The urgency is so overwhelming," Audrey replied blandly.

"Haven isn't Boston, Detective Parker," Lucassi countered. "His vitals are stable."

"So the blood on his hands…," Nathan interjected.

"That's where it gets interesting." Lucassi raised an eyebrow. "We cleaned him up, looked for the wound, and found nothing."

"So it's not his blood," Nathan surmised.

"But it was _a lot_ of blood," Audrey commented.

Nathan looked at Audrey and nodded slightly. "Something must've happened to make him take off like that. I'll check the ER, see if anyone's been admitted."

"I'm going to look through this," Audrey replied holding up the plastic bag. "See if I can spot anything unusual."

* * *

A few minutes later, Nathan and Audrey met up to share their findings with one another in the corridor outside Sam Menard's hospital room.

"So it turns out speed racer here lives a few houses down from Sada Quinn. Explains why he was in the neighborhood."

Nathan's impassive expression clouded. "But not why he was tearing out of there like a bat out of hell." The fierce protectiveness he felt toward his partner was something he usually kept under the surface, but the sight of Parker in the path of that oncoming car gnawed at him. If something had happened to her, he didn't know if—

_No,_ he mentally chastised himself. _Don't go there. Don't complicate things. Don't look for trouble. _

Audrey watched his expression shift and unconsciously rubbed her arm, wincing slightly at the memory of Nathan pulling her to safety and the two hitting the ground hard to avoid being struck by Menard's vehicle. The adrenaline of the moment hadn't made the pain register. Between the odd flutter she felt at the closeness of Nathan's body to her own, coupled with the immediate pursuit of their would-be hit-and-run driver, there hadn't been time for it. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she could definitely feel the after-effects of their dive.

Her movement to massage her arm did not miss Nathan's notice.

"Are you hurt?" His tone dropped.

She shrugged off his concerns. "I'm fine. Just some bruising. You should see the other guy," she joked but the concern in his eyes didn't dissipate. "If anyone should be worried, it's me about you."

He shook his head. "I'm fine."

"How do you know?" she pressed.

"You'll just have to take my word for it unless you plan on doing a strip search." Nathan's normally stoic face flushed at the realization of what he'd said. "Not that I would expect you—"

Audrey let out a low chuckle, though she couldn't quite keep at bay the images that flashed through her mind. Her partner was a very handsome man. She'd be a poor detective, indeed, if she didn't notice that. She always knew from the way his shirts stretched across his torso that he was solidly muscled, but actually feeling him atop her after he pulled her to safety, she gained a deeper appreciation for just how solid he was.

She cleared her throat, ready to let Nathan off the hook and to try to shake off the less than pure thoughts she was having about her partner. "So it, uh, looks like Menard was doing yard work if the grass stained shoes and grass clippings in his socks are any indication."

Nathan looked at her with gratitude before he furrowed his brows as her words sank in. "Wasn't he wearing khaki pants and a button up shirt? Not exactly yard work clothes in my experience."

"You do yard work?"

"I have a yard."

"You should invite me to see it sometime." The words slipped out before she realized. Where had _that_ come from?

If Nathan was surprised by them, he didn't show it. "The yard work or the yard?"

Audrey tried to regain her focus on the case. "So what did you find in the ER?"

"Our bleeder hasn't shown. Only people to be admitted are a woman with an acute stomachache and a man who seems to have overdosed on his ED pills."

Audrey grimaced. "Why would he overd—? You know what? Never mind."

"I think we ought to head back to the Menard house. See if we can find the source of this blood."

"Good thinking."

A few minutes later, they were in the parking lot approaching Nathan's truck. "Hey, I didn't tell you earlier," she began, catching his hand and stopping him midstride. "Thanks for saving my life. When I saw that car coming at me, it was weird. I just froze."

"You're my partner," he replied as though it were the most obvious reason in the world. "Don't want to have to train another."

But the intensity of his gaze told her it went far beyond that.

* * *

"We're looking for 688 Fascination Street," Nathan said as they neared the neighborhood where both Sada Quinn and Sam Menard lived.

"I keep thinking Fascination Street sounds familiar," Audrey commented as she looked out the window watching numbers on mailboxes.

"Was the title of an 80's song. The Cure."

"You've been holding out on me, Detective Factoid."

"You don't need to know everything about me." His words were spoken with a touch of humor and, Audrey thought, a challenge.

"But you're such a fun mystery to uncover. So I'm thinking you can be my partner at the Gull's next trivia night."

"I'll pass."

"What? You afraid I'll make you look bad?"

"That's it exactly, Parker," he replied wryly. "Of course, half the time you can't remember people's names. 688. Here it is."

"Nice neighborhood," Audrey commented as Nathan pulled into the driveway of the Menard house.

"He lives alone, so there shouldn't be anyone here, but just in case, we'll go to the front. Knock."

They did just that after exiting the Bronco and approaching the two-story Georgian style brick home. The impeccably manicured lawn seemed to be a pre-requisite for the neighborhood, though it didn't look freshly cut. "Haven PD. Anyone here?" Audrey called out.

Nothing.

Nathan reached for the doorknob but found it locked. Meanwhile Audrey peered through the front window into the house. Nothing seemed out of place.

"Let's check the other doors. If there was blood on his hands, maybe we'll find something."

Nathan nodded in agreement and the two walked around to the service door of the garage.

"Bingo," Audrey said upon seeing the rust-colored handprint against the white door. Once they found the handprint, it was as though a connect-the-dots path opened for them. Blood droplets that had dripped onto the concrete now caught their eyes, the path of which led to the back patio and seemingly ended.

"See anything?" Nathan asked.

"No. You?"

"Let's keep looking." Nathan stooped down, looking for any sign of blood in the yard edging the patio.

"A magnifying glass would be helpful right now." Audrey tilted her head in the direction of the adjacent property. "I wonder if Menard's neighbor saw anything. Lawnmower is out. Just sitting there."

"Expensive mower to leave sitting out."

Audrey looked at him questioningly.

"So…I know lawn equipment."

"Right, because you do yard work," she teased.

And then it clicked. "You said there were…"

"…Grass clippings," Audrey finished his thought.

The two walked briskly to the backyard of Menard's next-door neighbor.

"Hello? Anyone out here?" Audrey called out.

"Parker, over next to the house. The shrubs. Do you see it?" Nathan pointed. "Looks like feet sticking out."

"Yeah."

The two jogged closer to investigate.

"Damn," Audrey grimaced, her stomach turning over.

"There's our likely source of blood."

On the ground, partially shielded from view by the shrubbery lay a man with garden shears protruding from his chest, his eyes wide open and staring blankly. Already, they were starting to cloud over, giving him an almost other-worldly appearance.

Audrey reached down and found the man's wrist. "No pulse."

"No surprise. Now we know why Menard was in such a hurry to get out of here."

"Question is, did he do this? And if so, why?"

* * *

Within minutes, backup arrived and the area was cordoned off. Concerned neighbors gathered on the scene beyond the police line, many shaking their heads, mulling about in shock and confusion.

Nathan approached Audrey after speaking with a few of the gathered neighbors. She had been watching as Julia Carr examined the unfortunate man's corpse. "Everett Ripley, age 41. Now that I think about it, I remember talking to this guy when I was looking for information about Lucy. Wasn't very helpful, but he was nice."

"Apparently someone didn't think so," Audrey countered. "Wait. You were trying to find out about Lucy?"

"Thought maybe a fresh pair of eyes…"

"You never said anything." Her voice shot up slightly.

"Shouldn't have said anything just now. I didn't want to get your hopes up unless I found something."

Julia removed a pair of examination gloves. "Well, I can confirm Mr. Ripley died of trauma to the chest and loss of blood. Garden shears. Can check that one off as one I haven't seen before."

"You keeping a list?" Nathan asked.

"More or less," Julia admitted. "Based on temperature, the clouding of his eyes, and the stage of Mr. Ripley's _rigor mortis_, I'd put the time of death at about two hours ago, give or take a few minutes."

"That would seem to fit with the time Sam Menard barreled out of here and nearly ran us down," Audrey said to Nathan.

"We know Menard was here, but why would he kill his neighbor? Everyone I've talked with so far says the men were friendly with each other. Loaned each other tools. Had cookouts. The usual."

Audrey's eyes fell on the murdered man. "Yeah. The usual, except for the garden shears sticking out of Mr. Ripley's chest and Sam Menard saying that it's not safe before he lost consciousness."

"Menard was scared, just like Samantha Heiser. Question is what frightened him?"

"Right. Was it Mr. Ripley who frightened him, leading Menard to kill him in some sort of weird fight/flight shenanigan? Was there an argument of some sort?"

"Shenanigan?" Nathan echoed her choice or word before shaking his head slightly and continuing, "Or did Menard find Everett Ripley like this?"

Audrey exhaled. "Menard's words bother me. I don't think it's a coincidence that both he and Samantha Heiser seemed unusually concerned for their safety."

"Other than the usual doom and gloom, take-your-life-in-your-own-hands concerns with living in Haven?" Julia interjected. "No offense, detectives."

"So what—if any—is the connection?" Nathan asked.

"As far as we know, neither man was at Rosemary's earlier today, which is the only place other than home that Samantha Heiser has been, according to both her and her roommate."

"So what if it's someone else's Trouble? Someone who was both at the bakery and here?"

"You thinking Sada Quinn?"

"She lives just down there," Audrey pointed down the road. "But she was also talking with us when Menard went all 'safety first.'"

"I'll round up some more statements," Nathan replied. "See what else I can find out about both men."

"I think I'll call the hospital. Get an update on Menard." Audrey watched as Nathan walked away, only realizing she was staring when she heard Julia clear her throat.

"So what's going on with you and my favorite brooding detective?"

"What do you mean?"

"You two had a moment."

"A moment?" Audrey shot her friend a 'you're crazy' look.

"Yes, a moment."

"We work together. That's all."

"I've known him a long time. What he's doing, trying to help you find out about your past, that's not something a co-worker does. There's something there. It's even in the way you look at each other."

"You're imagining things. Look, I need to call the hospital."

"I get paid to notice things, but whatever," Julia replied nonchalantly as she turned her attention away from Audrey and motioned to two paramedics who were bringing a cart to retrieve Everett Ripley's body.

* * *

To be continued...


End file.
